Alex In Wonderland
by Shadowfang14
Summary: A gender-flipped version of the classic story, albeit with a few changes.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**: _Oh hey, somebody is actually reading this! So yeah, I've been writing a gender-flipped version of the literary classic 'Alice In Wonderland', and now, after much typing, I've finally decided to submit it to . So yeah, this story isn't actually gonna be like the original version-I've changed the story around some...well, you'll see what I mean. Hope you like it._

_Disclaimer: I don't own the original Alice In Wonderland. I do, however, own this genderbent parody, so there. *Sticks tongue out*_

Alex Hampton groaned as he started to come to. The first thing he was aware of was that he was lying on his back in dirt, and that his head was pounding. Alex opened his eyes, only to have them assailed with bright sunlight.

"Oh, my head." He moaned, sitting up. "What happened?" Suddenly, he saw a flash of white disappear into the bushes.

Of course. The rabbit. Flashes of memory came back to the boy. He had been having a picnic with his family, when suddenly he saw a white rabbit. Alex didn't know what it was, but something about the rabbit had seemed..._off_ to him. So, ignoring the cries of his family, he got up and started chasing after the rabbit. Next thing he knew, he found himself falling down a deep, dark hole.

Suddenly, a horrifying thought came to the boy.

_Am I-dead?_ The very thought made his heart beat like a drum in his chest. That in itself proved that he was still alive.

"Well well, look who finally decided to wake up." A sultry female voice purred. Alex started, and spun around. There, in a tree behind him, was a cat. Or, at least, he _thought_ it was a cat. The creature above him had the body of a voluptuous human girl, but was covered in purple and blue-striped fur and hair, pointed ears, whiskers, green eyes with slitted pupils, and a tail.

"Huh-what?!" Alex said, pulling himself up and ignoring the throbbing pain in his head. "Who-_what_ are you?!" The cat-girl, apparently not bothered by his lack of tact, just smiled.

"You can just call me the Cheshire Cat." she purred. "And what might your name be, handsome?"

"I'm, uh, Alex. Alex Hampton." Alex introduced himself, more than a little disturbed.

"That's a nice name." the Cheshire Cat said, stretching out and pulling herself into a sitting position. "And you really _are_ a handsome one." Alex pinched himself.

_Nope, I'm awake alright._ He thought, though he was half-tempted to pinch himself again just to make sure. Alex took a step backwards, only for the Cheshire Cat to materialize from her perch on the tree and reappear behind him, putting a paw on his shoulder.

"Going somewhere?" she purred. Alex let out an alarmed cry, and ran out of her grasp. It was then that Alex suddenly noticed where he was. Everything was bright and colorful. There were winding paths, endless landscapes, and he could've sworn that the flowers all around them had faces.

"W-Where am I?" Alex asked, feeling his head starting to spin.

"Oh, right, you wouldn't know." the cat answered. "This, Alex Hampton, is what we here refer to simply as 'Wonderland'."

"W-Wonderland?" Alex asked. He put a hand to his head. "I must be seeing things..."

"Oh, I can assure you, this is all real." the Cheshire Cat said. She moved to lick his ear teasingly, but Alex managed to avoid her and stumble backwards.

"You really are a confused boy, aren't you?" the Cat purred, showing what might've been concern on her face. "You need to learn to lighten up, Alex Hampton."

"But...my family!" Alex started. "I was just having a picnic with them, and now I'm in this strange place, and..." Suddenly, he saw the white rabbit running through the bushes near to them.

"You!" Bending down, Alex caught the rabbit, and pulled it out. "This is all because I followed...you?" Alex could see right away that the creature he was holding was not a rabbit. Well, not exactly, anyway. Like the Cheshire Cat, the creature was covered head to toe in fur, and had long ears and a fluffy tail, however, its body was that of a little girl. She raised her hands to cover pink eyes fearfully as Alex set her down.

_What the? Another animal girl?_

"Oh, it's you." the Cheshire Cat said, looking at the rabbit girl. "So, you led Alex here, then? Thanks." This last part she added with a meaningful look at Alex, while the rabbit just looked away with a blush. Finally, Alex couldn't take it anymore.

"No!" he said. "I don't want to be in Wonderland! I want to go home!"

"Well then, if you're really so insistent on leaving, then I'd suggest seeing the Hatter, then." the Cheshire Cat said.

"Hatter?" Alex asked in confusion. However, he quickly shook it off and said. "Okay then. Take me to this 'Hatter' person."

"I'll leave that to you, Rabbit." the Cheshire Cat said. "The Hatter and me, we don't get along too well." Under normal circumstances, Alex would've been curious, but there was no time to waste. He followed the rabbit as she walked down a path, and the Cheshire Cat blew him a quick kiss before fading away. Alex and the rabbit walked in awkward silence for a few seconds.

"So, um, not much of a talker, are you?" Alex asked. The rabbit just stared at him in silence.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Alex said in silence. Unseen by him, a mouse ran up behind him, its nose twitching as beady red eyes stared after the pair. Alex and the rabbit then stopped in their tracks as they saw a similar mouse in front of them on the ground.

"Huh? A mouse?" Alex asked. To this surprise, the Rabbit looked horrified and grabbed onto his pants leg, her eyes wide with fear.

"Come on." Alex said in annoyance. "You _can't_ be afraid of that little..." Before Alex had a chance to finish, another mouse ran to join the one in front of them, then two, then five. Before long, the pair was being swarmed by mice.

"Then again, you _may_ have a point." Alex said. The Rabbit grabbed his hand and ran off into the forest. The mice ran after them, letting out a series of squeaks and chirps as they did.

"Whoa!" Alex said as he had to jerk his foot away, in order to avoid getting covered in mice. The two turned a corner, only to find their way blocked by a cluster of trees. While the mice may have been able to make their way through, Alex and the Rabbit certainly couldn't. The Rabbit squeezed Alex's hand even tighter and looked at the sea of approaching mice, terror obvious in her eyes.

"I don't believe this!" Alex said. "I end up in this weird 'Wonderland' place, and now I'm gonna be eaten by mice?!" He was just about to squeeze his eyes shut to prepare for the inevitable, but suddenly, a shot sounded out, and at least ten mice were sent flying. The rest of the mice all turned as one, and Alex whipped his head around to see a new girl standing behind them, a pistol in each hand.

"You two had better run now." she cautioned Alex and the Rabbit. They didn't need to be told twice. As the girl continued firing on the mice, the two ran for cover, so as to not get shot. When they reached the girl, she shouted

"Let's go!" and Alex and the Rabbit ran to safety with her. The girl let out one last shot so as to ward off any approaching mice, then continued running.

"Thanks for that." Alex said gratefully.

"No problem." The girl said, putting her pistols away. Alex then took that moment to actually look at her. The first thing he noticed was that this girl actually looked human, unlike the Cheshire Cat and the Rabbit. She seemed to be about a year older than him, was a couple of inches taller, and had a slender body. The girl wore a lavender coat over a white shirt, and a lavender skirt with black stockings and slippers and a lavender top hat. She had layered, chin-length black hair and blue-green eyes.

"So, a newcomer, huh?" the girl asked, looking Alex up and down. "Sucks for you."

"W-Who are you?" Alex asked. The girl answered

"You can just call me Hatter."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN**:_ Well, hope you like the story so far. Here's chapter two._

"So, what were those mice that attacked us?" Alex asked. It was about ten minutes later, and he, the rabbit, and the girl he now knew was the Hatter were in a hat shop.

"Dormice." The Hatter answered. "Servants of the Red King. Guess he already knew you were here."

"Red King?" Alex asked.

"The ruler of Wonderland." Hatter answered, arranging some hats on foam heads. "He used to rule alongside his wife, the White Queen. But one day he went insane and, well, I don't like to think about what happened to her." Alex shuddered, despite himself. He looked from the White Rabbit, who was looking at a cute little sunbonnet back to the Hatter and said

"So, um, Hatter, the Cheshire Cat told me that you could take me back home?"

"Ugh, that cat." Hatter said in contempt, and Alex noticed that there was an angry look on her face. "She always was a compulsive liar."

"Wait, so you can't do anything?!" Alex asked, trying to panic. Hatter opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything, a male voice from outside asked

"Hey, what's the noise in there, Hatter?" Alex and the two girls turned their heads as the door opened and a figure entered the shop. Alex could immediately tell upon first glance that it was a rabbit person like the White Rabbit, except older, and male. Also, his fur was brown instead of white. Sharp gray eyes narrowed at Alex.

"Who's the kid?" he asked.

"March Hare, that's Alex Hampton." Hatter introduced him. "Alex, that's my partner, the March Hare."

"Partner?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, that's right." the March Hare said, folding his arms. "Guy's gotta make a living, you know? So, I help her to make hats for the people of Wonderland."

"He's also a whiz at explosives." Hatter said nonchalantly, and the hare boy glared at her.

"Hatter, are you out of your gourd?!" March Hare demanded. "Don't tell him that, what if he's a spy for the Red King?!"

"He just got here a), and b)," the Hatter answered matter-of-factly, "I saved him from the king's dormice. I doubt 'his highness' has had a chance to get to him yet."

"Still though, you have to be careful!" March Hare scolded her. "Openly rebelling against the king; it's no wonder they've started calling you mad..."

"I could care less about what other people think about me." Hatter stated, though Alex noticed a flash of anger in her eyes. "Anyway, someone has to stop that madman."

Finally, Alex couldn't take it any longer.

"Hey, excuse me!" He shouted, and the Hatter and March Hare stared/glared at him.

"Yeah, what do _you_ want?" the March Hare sneered.

"So you can't get me out of Wonderland?" Alex asked the Hatter, fearing the answer.

"No, but I know someone who _might_ be able to help you. But first, you're going to have to change your clothes."

"Huh?" Alex asked.

"You stick out too much. You'll draw less attention if you dress like one of the locals." The Hatter explained.

"Well...okay then." Alex agreed.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of the magical land, a tall man sat in a throne. Along with being tall, he had a fairly muscular build, and, if one didn't know better, they would've thought that he was on fire. Pretty much everything about him was red, his long, wild hair, mustache, eyes, robes, and shoes. Pretty much the only thing one him that wasn't red was the golden crown on his head, though it did have a ruby in the center.

Footsteps coming from down the hall indicated the arrival of another person.

"I take it the mice were unsuccessful, then?" he asked.

"Your intuition is keen as always, my King." a woman said, walking up to him. She was of about average height, with a slender waist, large chest, long, flowing brown hair, and sky-blue eyes. She wore a long-sleeved, dark green dress with a white bodice, that complimented her figure, and black, flat shoes. The king frowned.

"I expected more from you, Duchess. Explain your failure." The Duchess bit her lip nervously.

"I-I am very sorry, my Lord. It-It was the Hatter, you see..."

"Of course." the Red King frowned. "Such a pain-but she'll grow out of it. They all do, eventually." An evil smile crossed his face at this, and the Duchess relaxed a little. "For now, let's just keep an eye on the boy, shall we?"

* * *

The Hatter and March Hare led the way through the colorful forest, with Alex and the White Rabbit behind them. Alex frowned down at the outfit he was wearing. At the Hatter's insistence, he had changed out of his yellow T-shirt and black jeans into a long-sleeved, buttoned white shirt, dark blue vest, and pants of the same color, with penny loafers on his feet.

"14 years old, and I look like somebody's great-great times 25 grandpa." He complained. He then looked down at the White Rabbit. "Why are you still following me?!" he demanded. The rabbit girl just stopped in her tracks and looked down at the ground sadly.

"You know, you don't have to be so hard on her." the Hatter said. "After all, up until a couple weeks ago, she was a slave of the Red King." Alex froze in his tracks.

"What?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah." the Hatter said. "The king captured her one day and forced her to serve him. As you can imagine, he was always cruel to her, and made her go into your world to lure people here."

_You mean like she did to me?_ Alex was tempted to ask, but thought better of it.

"But then one day, she came to us." the March Hare continued. "We took her in, and she's been helping us ever since."

"We have no idea what the king did to her, but whatever it was, it was so horrible that it rendered her unable to speak." the Hatter finished. Blue met pink as Alex locked eyes with the White Rabbit. It was only then that he saw the fear, the sadness, in her eyes.

_Poor little thing. _He thought. _Maybe I _have _been too hard on her._

"We're here." the Hatter said suddenly. The group stopped all of a sudden, and Alex noticed that they were in a forest of overgrown mushrooms. A woman sat on top of the largest mushroom. Or, at least, the upper half of her body looked like a woman. The lower part looked like a caterpillar, with many legs. Unlike the other animal people Alex had seen in Wonderland, the caterpillar woman's hair was white, unlike the rest of her body, which was light blue. Her hair covered her breasts, and there was a sad look in her eyes. Alex almost found her beautiful.

"Hatter, March Hare." she said in a sad, melodic voice. "You bring a newcomer with you."

"This is Alex Hampton." the Hatter introduced him.

"Um, hey." Alex said, waving nervously.

"Such a handsome young face." the caterpillar said slowly. "Such a shame."

_Huh?_ Alex asked. Out loud, he asked

"So um, do you know how I can get out of here?"

"Yes indeed." the caterpillar said. "But it won't be easy." She stared straight ahead, as if looking at something in the distance, then said "There is only one way out of Wonderland. Unfortunately, it is right behind the Red King's castle."

"What?!" Alex said in horror. Suddenly, something came to him. "Wait a second. When _she_-" he started, pointing to the White Rabbit, "made me fall down a hole and end up here, I wasn't anywhere near a castle! How come-"

"Rabbit holes open all over Wonderland for a little while, but they don't last long." The caterpillar explained. "Except for the one behind the palace. That one opened a long time ago, and it's the only surefire way back to your world."

"But how am I supposed to get there?" Alex asked. "From what I've heard, the king isn't the nicest guy around. I doubt he'd just let me in to get back home if I ask him politely." The Caterpillar smiled sadly.

"I wish I knew what to tell you, Alex Hampton. Unfortunately, not all answers come that easily." Alex sighed miserably. He was about to say something else, but then the caterpillar interrupted him.

"But know this, Alex. You have a great destiny before you." As soon as the caterpillar was done talking, a mysterious fog rolled in, and as soon as it cleared, the caterpillar was mysteriously gone.

"Just as cryptic as ever, I see." The sudden voice made Alex jump, but he was the only one who did so. The others just turned around, the Hatter with a look of annoyance on her face.

"What are _you_ doing here, cat?" The Cheshire Cat grinned from the mushroom she was on top of.

"What can I say?" She teleported from the mushroom and reappeared next to Alex, locking her arms around him. "I just can't resist a handsome face." She was about to lick Alex's cheek, but suddenly, a loud stomp sounded through the forest. The White Rabbit ran and hid behind Alex again, and the Hatter pulled out her pistols while the March Hare tensed up for battle. Even the Cheshire Cat stopped acting frisky and stared ahead.

"Guys?" Alex asked. "What's that?" Nobody answered, but they didn't need to. Alex got his answer soon enough.

A pair of giant, monstrous dodos stormed right up to the gang. Unlike all the other animal people of Wonderland, the dodo beasts didn't look human at all, except for feather patterns on their heads, which looked like they might've once been hair.

"Hey, look Tweedledee, it's the rebels." the male one said.

"What do you say, Tweedledum? Wanna have some fun with these guys?!" the female one asked, sadism evident in her voice. Despite his having a beak, Alex could've sworn he saw the male, Tweedledum, grin evilly as he said

"Yeah, let's."

**AN**: _Yes, a couple of the characters are going to be the same gender as in the original story, just for the sake of convenience. Not much else to say, except leave a review! Please?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: _See chapter one_

Hatter was the first one to move.

"Get down!" she shouted, shooting at the dodos, while the March Hare pulled out a grenade. Suddenly, Alex saw the world fading to black in front of his eyes, only for the scenery to be replaced by a large clump of mushrooms.

"What the?" he asked. The Cheshire Cat jumped off him, and Alex suddenly realized that she must have teleported him.

"There." the Cat said. "This is my first time teleporting with someone else. I tried to get you as far away as I could."

"Thanks." Alex said sincerely, knowing right away that he couldn't hope to fight against Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Suddenly, he realized something.

"Wait a second-where's the White Rabbit?" His and the Cheshire Cat's heads whipped around simultaneously. The White Rabbit, terrified, tried to dig a hole to hide in. However, Tweedledee snatched her up in her beak. As the poor rabbit squirmed in an attempt to get away, Tweedledee mumbled

"Hey, Tweedledum! Look at what I found!"

"Let her go!" The Hatter shouted, training both her guns on the female dodo.

"Nah, I don't think we'll do that." Tweedledum said. "I'd rather have her as an appetizer before we feast on the rest of you." The White Rabbit whimpered and covered her eyes with her paws as the Hatter prepared to shoot.

"Hatter, no." The March Hare said, lowering her hands. "If you shoot, there's a good chance you could hit the Rabbit too." The Hatter lowered her guns slightly, but kept on scowling at the dodos.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Tweedledum smirked.

"Hey, turkeys!" The dodos glared as Alex ran up to them, waving his arms.

"What does he think he's doing?!" The Hatter asked in shock. "He's unarmed!"

"Get out of here, you idiot!" The March Hare shouted. Alex ignored him and continued taunting the dodo twins.

"Your mother was a vulture!"

"How dare you talk that way about our mom!" Tweedledee shouted, dropping the White Rabbit as she did.

"You die for that, punk!" Tweedledum shouted. Immediately, he and Tweedledee charged towards Alex, who just realized the danger he had put himself in.

"Crap baskets." He started running, the dodo twins in hot pursuit.

_Me and my big mouth! How am I gonna get myself out of this one?! _As he ran, Alex didn't notice a loose root in the ground, which he then tripped over. Blowing some loose strands of blond hair out of his face, Alex pulled himself up just in time to see the dodos looming over him.

"Say goodnight, chump!" Tweedledum said. Alex screamed in fear, throwing his arms up to shield himself.

"Stay back!"

Suddenly, a strange thing happened. As Alex held his hand out, rippling blue energy surrounded it and shot out at Tweedledee and Tweedledum in a huge, blinding flash. The two were blown back a few feet before they got the chance to get a single word out.

Back in the mushroom field, the others watched on in awe. The Hatter's eyes widened at the sight.

"I-I don't believe it."

Alex tried to stand up, and the blue energy started to spread all over his body.

"Gah! Let's get out of here, bro!" Tweedledee shouted.

"Right behind you, sis!" Tweedledum answered, and the two got up and started to run off.

Alex was only vaguely aware of the dodos' retreat. The power spreading through his body was making him stronger and weaker at the same time, and eventually it became too much for him. Closing his eyes, he fell to the ground heavily, his energy dying down.

* * *

The first thing Alex was aware of as he regained consciousness was that a soft, fuzzy hand was touching his face.

"Mm-huh?" Alex opened his eyes slowly, and saw the White Rabbit standing over him, her eyes full of concern.

"Rabbit girl?"

"Well, looks like you're up." The March Hare said. "Welcome back to the world of the living."

"Wha-What happened?" Alex asked, sitting up and putting a hand to his head.

"You tell us." The Cheshire Cat asked from atop a tree. "First, you were running from Tweedledee and Tweedledum, and then you-you..." Before Alex had a chance to ask her what she was talking about, the Hatter cut in.

"Well, looks like the Caterpillar was right about you after all." Alex turned to look at her, and noticed a solemn look in the girl's eyes.

"Guess we've found another reason to keep you safe from the king, Alex Hampton. You're the Chosen One." Alex's eyes widened in surprise.

"What? 'Chosen One'?"

"There is a prophecy in ancient Wonderland legends." the Hatter said. Pulling a roll of parchment from her sleeve, she gave it to Alex. Unrolling it, he saw old drawings.

"One day," the Hatter continued, "When Wonderland is at its most vulnerable, a hero would arrive. One who would possess special powers while in this land. They alone would stand before the Red King and fight for the freedom of Wonderland."

"And...that's me?!" Alex asked, the news crashing down on him like a ton of bricks.

"Apparently." Hatter said.

Now Alex was faced with a dilemma. He still wanted to go home, but he couldn't just leave these people. Not when he was apparently the only hope they had of defeating their tyrannical ruler.

"Alex?" The Cheshire Cat asked.

"Alright, then." Alex said, coming to a decision. "I'm staying to help you guys." The Hatter felt her heart soar, though she didn't show any emotion on her face.

"You're sure?" she asked.

"Yeah." Alex said. "I still want to go home, but first I figure I'll help you guys reclaim your home." The March Hare nodded, a smile crossing his face.

"Maybe you're not as bad as I thought, human." The White Rabbit ran up and hugged his legs. Alex just smiled, though a nagging feeling still tugged at his mind. Despite himself, he couldn't help but wonder if he had really made the right choice.

**AN**: _Well, what do you guys think? Like it? Hate it? Late it? (Late is a combination of like and hate, for those of you who don't know). If you have any constructive criticism or tips, please let me know!_


	4. Chapter 4

"Alex! Alex, get up!"

"Aw, Mom, I don't want to go to school..." Alex mumbled, pulling the blanket over his head.

It was the next morning. Hatter and March Hare (reluctantly) let Alex stay with them for the night, as he didn't have anywhere else to go, and they couldn't just leave their greatest hope out in the cold. However, Hatter was learning the hard way that the blond boy was a heavy sleeper. She glared at him, wondering whether or not she should shoot near his bed to get him up.

(**AN**: _Lol, love this part!_) "Let me try." The March Hare said, walking up to the bed. Plastering a fake smile onto his face, he bent over and said in a sing-song voice

"Oh, Aleeeex?" Quickly changing his tune, the Hare grabbed two of Alex's bedposts and started shaking the bed violently, shouting

"WAKE UP, SHITHEAD!" That did the trick. Alex woke up with a start, falling out of bed and landing right on his face.

"Yowch!" Alex pulled himself into a sitting position, glaring up at the hare boy.

"What the hell?!" he asked.

"Good to see you up, Alex." Hatter said, crossing her hands in front of her chest. "Time to begin training."

"What is this, the army?!" Alex demanded. "The sun isn't even up yet!"

"We have to begin training you to hone your powers as early as possible." Hatter said matter-of-factly. "If I'm going to fight the Red King, I'll have to have my secret weapon ready as soon as possible."

"Wait a second, hold on." Alex said, standing up. "You're going to have an actual _war_?! Against a _king_?! But you're like, what, sixteen?! And he's a grown man! With a kingdom! And guards! And power!" Alex sighed and shook his head. "You _are _mad." He started to turn around to go back to bed, but Hatter didn't give him a chance. Grabbing either of his wrists in her hands, she pushed him against the wall, forgetting that March Hare was in the room with them.

"Don't you _ever_ call me mad." she threatened in a low, growling voice. "All I'm trying to do is restore freedom to this land and stop that tyrant, is that really so mad?! I don't know about you, but I don't plan on spending the rest of my life under his rule." The Hatter let Alex go, and he stared in surprise at her angry face.

"Five minutes." she said quietly, before he could say anything. "That's all you have to get dressed and meet me outside." Without another word, she turned and walked out the door. The March Hare only stayed long enough to shoot Alex a quick look, then followed his partner outside. Alex sighed.

"What have I gotten myself into?!"

* * *

Somehow, the boy was able to get himself together five minutes later, quickly tossing on some clothes and trudging wearily through the forest, yawning the whole way.

"So, what's with the nature hike?" he yawned.

"Don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves, do we?" The March Hare asked with a smirk.

"Who's gonna hear us, the crickets?!" Alex almost shouted. "The sun isn't even out yet!"

"Hey, keep it down, will ya?!" Alex started.

"Who said that?"

"Down here, blondie!" Alex looked down-and saw a flower looking back up at him. Or, rather, a whole bed of flowers. All of which had faces.

"Wha-ah?! Talking flowers?!"

"Yeah!" a rose said, pointing one of its leaves at Alex. "And we'd appreciate NOT being woken up at four o'clock in the morning!"

_You and me both, pal._ Alex thought.

"Sorry." Hatter apologized. "Just brought Alex out here for some early-morning training."

"Tch." A violet said, raising a nonexistent eyebrow at the girl. "Another recruit for your resistance, Hatter?"

"This is a fool's errand, Hatter!" a tulip, the oldest-looking of the flowers said. "If you were smart, you'd give up these pipe dreams!" The other flowers started to say similar things, and Alex noticed the Hatter's hands clench into fists and start to shake.

"Let's go, guys." Hatter said firmly. They continued walking forward, but not before Alex caught one of the flowers saying something about the Hatter's hat being too tight for her head. Finally, the threesome made it to a clearing.

"Here we are." Hatter said. "Now, Alex, I want you to concentrate on your powers." Alex closed his eyes obediently and tried to focus. _On...what?_, he asked himself. He didn't feel anything. He squeezed his eyes shut a bit tighter and tried to focus his energy.

"Stop." Hatter instructed. Alex opened his eyes, breathing heavily. "You're trying too hard."

"How would you know?" Alex asked. "You're not the one with the weird powers." Hatter held up one of her guns, and Alex was suddenly afraid that she was going to shoot him.

"If I told you to fire this gun, would you squeeze it into your whole hand, leaving no space to pull the trigger?"

"Well, no." Alex answered. "That's stupid." The last part he said to himself, and Hatter continued.

"With anything in life, whether it's using a weapon or wielding some special ability, it's never a good idea to push yourself too hard first thing in. You'll get yourself killed that way. You have to be calm. Relax. Let the power flow through you." As she talked, Alex closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He focused on his energy, and was surprised to feel a strange energy growing inside him. It felt just like before, when he was facing Tweedledee and Tweedledum. This time, however, he was able to actually feel the power building up inside him, growing stronger and stronger. Alex opened his eyes with a start. Looking down at his hands, he could briefly see rippling blue energy sparking around them before it faded. Hatter nodded in approval, a small smile crossing her face.

"Not bad for your first try." she said. "Well, I think that's good enough for today." Alex could hardly dare to believe it.

"So, you mean we're done, then?" Hatter's smile faded as quickly as it had appeared.

"You wish." Alex's pupils shrank.

* * *

A couple of moments later, Alex learned firsthand what it was like to be a deer running from predators. He screamed bloody murder as he ran through the forest, trying to avoid the bullets the March Hare was shooting at him.

"WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?!" he demanded.

"This is to help increase your speed and dodging ability." Hatter, who was standing on a small hill in front of him, answered.

"But he's SHOOTING AT ME!" Alex protested loudly, pointing at the Hare.

"Aw, quit your whining, little man." the March Hare said. "They're rubber. Rubber bullets can't kill you." He fired a couple more shots at Alex, but he was able to duck just in time, shooting the hare boy a suspicious glare.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Whatever gave you _that _idea?" the March Hare asked, a smirk on his face. The next part of Alex's training involved hand-to-hand combat with the Hatter.

"In any fight, it goes without saying that you'll get your hands dirty." the Hatter said. "So, come on. Show me what you've got."

"What?" Alex said. "But-But I don't want to hit a girl!" For the second time that morning, Alex had said the wrong thing. And for the second time, he was reminded that the Hatter was stronger than she looked, as she grabbed his wrist and tossed him to the ground.

"In battle, the gender of your opponent doesn't matter!" she said angrily. "Male or female, they will _kill _you, given the chance. You must not give them that chance, Alex. Besides, I'm a fighter. I can take a punch." This last part she said to herself, but Alex heard it anyway. He stood up, and, before he could say anything, Hatter said

"Think fast!" She threw a punch, and Alex was only a second away from getting one in the face before he dodged.

"Hey, I wasn't ready!" Alex protested.

"I _said_ think fast." the Hatter said, aiming a kick at him. This time, however, Alex was able to grab her leg. The Hatter nodded a little in approval.

"Good, Alex. Maybe you're not so hopeless, after all." Alex smirked a little, sure of himself. Suddenly, the Hatter slipped out of her boot and, stooping, drop-kicked him.

"Wha-WHAUGH!" Alex cried out as he fell to the ground.

"Though then again..."

As this was going on, a dormouse watched the group training from a clearing. It stayed there for a few minutes more, watching the team as they continued to train, and then ran off. The mouse scurried away, wandering until it came to the Duchess, who was waiting in a tower. The elegantly-clad woman picked up the mouse and held it to her face.

"So, the boy has started his training, then? That's a problem." She looked back at the mouse. "Inform our spy that we need to keep a close eye on the boy." The mouse squeaked, as though agreeing, before running back off. The Duchess stared ahead, a hardened, serious look on her face.

_I won't fail you, my love._


	5. Chapter 5

Later that morning, Alex was sore from training.

"Ow, my aching everything." He moaned.

"You should eat." March Hare said, chowing down on a loaf of bread. "Keep up your strength."

"I don't have any strength left." Alex moaned. "You psychos beat it all out of me."

"Your body just isn't used to this type of strain yet." Hatter said, lifting a bite of egg to her mouth. "That's something we'll have to work on." Alex's head fell onto the table.

"I'm gonna die." The March Hare rolled his eyes, not happy with the drama this boy was making over such meager training.

"Amateur." Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. "I'll get it." March Hare immediately volunteered. Alex weakly tried to reach for his glass of orange juice, as Hatter looked up at the doorway.

"White Rabbit?" She stood up and walked over to the small rabbit girl. "What news do you bring?" Alex looked up just in time to see the Rabbit hold up a dagger, and his energy automatically returned.

"Guys, look out!" He bolted up and ran over, surprising the poor rabbit so much that she dropped the knife.

"Alex, calm down." the Hatter said calmly.

"Yeah." March Hare agreed, a smirk on his face. "What did you think she was gonna do-attack us?!" Alex looked at the White Rabbit, who was trying to dig a hole through the wooden floor to hide in. He had to admit, it was stupid to think that she could hurt anybody. Hatter knelt down and picked up the knife.

"This knife's hilt is made of dragon hide." She noted. "The blade is a dragon fang." She bit her bottom lip slightly. "The Red King is arming his troops with the strongest weaponry he can."

"Hatter?" Alex asked, concerned. Hatter turned to the March Hare.

"Gather all our warriors." she instructed. "We need to have a meeting." The Hare nodded and looked at the White Rabbit.

"Let's go, then." She burrowed, and he sprinted off, and they were soon gone. Hatter turned to Alex.

"Finish your breakfast." she instructed. "We'll be having company soon." And with that, she walked off.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, Alex found himself in the backyard with Hatter, March Hare, the White Rabbit, and a couple dozen other people.

"I'm glad you could all make it." Hatter addressed the crowd. Alex's eyes scanned the crowd. The first thing he noticed was that everyone there seemed pretty young, around his and Hatter's age. The oldest-looking members didn't look older than their early twenties.

"First of all," Hatter continued, "I would like you all to meet our newest member, Alex Hampton." Alex blushed slightly, a little embarrassed that Hatter had put him on the spot. "He's The Chosen One the prophecy spoke of, and I'm personally training him to hone his abilities to help us in our fight against the Red King."

"What makes you so sure this boy is The Chosen One?" a lizard girl asked, a skeptical look on her face.

"Because I personally saw him unlock his powers when we were in a tough spot." Hatter answered. The White Rabbit nodded vigorously, and attached herself to Alex's leg. Alex knew that if she could talk, she would mention how he had saved her life.

"Anyway," Hatter continued, "I thought you all would like a look at what we have to face on the battlefield." She held up the knife, raising a few gasps from the crowd.

"Is that...?!"

"A dragon-forged weapon." Hatter nodded. "And this is just a dagger. Imagine what other weapons the Red King has at his disposal. I'd advise you all to be on your guard, and train harder than ever."

"I'm sick of all this waiting!" A voice shouted from the crowd. Everyone's heads turned as a man wearing an apron stood up. "When are we actually going to fight?!"

"Soon," Hatter promised, "But not now. We can't just charge into battle blindly, or we'll be killed." This seemed to shut the guy up, and Hatter finished "But until then, be sure to stay under the radar. Meeting adjourned." Everyone stood up and left, and Alex started to walk back inside, only to be grabbed from behind and pressed against a wall.

"Wha-hey! What the...?!" His protesting was cut short when he saw the March Hare's angry face glaring at him.

"I know what you're thinking." he started.

"Huh?" Alex wondered.

"I've seen the way you look at Hatter." March Hare said. "Whatever sick ideas are running through your mind, forget them."

"The hell...?!" Alex asked quietly. "I'm not..."

"She's a great gal." March Hare said. "Too good for some wimp who lucked out and ended up as the Chosen One."

_Lucky?! I'm stuck in this weird, screwed-__up place with no way back home, I miss my family, and I'm expected to save this world! You call that lucky?! _That was what Alex _wanted_ to say. However, under the Hare's intense gaze, he found himself unable to form a coherent sentence. So instead, he answered with

"Huh?"

"I'll make this simple for you." March Hare said, clearly thinking that the younger boy was stupid. "Stay away from Hatter. The last thing she needs in her life is more pain." Alex blinked in surprise.

"_More _pain?" The March Hare didn't answer, walking off instead. Alex sighed.

"How is it that I always manage to offend everyone?"

The White Rabbit started digging a tunnel to leave, when she was interrupted by the sound of the Cheshire Cat appearing behind her.

"Well, hello there." The Rabbit started in surprise. Cheshire Cat chuckled "Don't act so scared. We're friends here, aren't we?" The White Rabbit nodded vigorously. The Cat's grin dropped a bit. "Pity about your brother, huh?" The Rabbit's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the Cat.

"Oh yes, I know." Cat said, and her smile faded completely as her tone changed to one of pity. "That's why you started working for the Red King, isn't it? So that you could go back home and get your lives back?" If the Rabbit had ever spoken in her life, she would've fallen speechless at that point. Her ears drooped, and she stared down at the ground guiltily. The Cheshire Cat poofed in front of her, and put a comforting paw on the Rabbit's shoulder.

"I understand," the Cat said, "But I can't trust you." Her green eyes met the Rabbit's pink ones, and for once, they were completely serious. No laughter, happiness, nothing.

"Stay away from Alex and the others."

**AN**: _Ooh, the plot thickens! Leave a review! Please? *Does puppy dog eyes*_


	6. Chapter 6

**AN**: _For everyone who reviewed, thank you so much for your kind words! Glad you're liking the story! As for those people who asked whether Alex is going to end up with the Hatter or not...well, you're just going to have to wait and see...*evil grin*_

Days turned into weeks as Alex's training went on. He got stronger every day, and even got better at controlling his powers. Hatter smiled and nodded in approval.

"Excellent. I think it's time." She turned to a bird on a branch next to her. "Spread the word. We attack at dawn." When Alex heard this, his heart sank. He knew it was inevitable, after all, that's what they were training for, but, well, war was one of those things you were never really ready for. Hatter turned to Alex.

"Your training is complete. You should go rest up now, while you can."

"Well-okay then." Alex said. As he walked off, Alex couldn't help but think of Hatter. He had known her for a while now-and yet he didn't. She was just so mysterious, so aloof, so beautiful...

Alex shook his head to clear his thoughts. Beautiful? What was he thinking? He didn't like the Hatter like that! Okay yes, she was kinda pretty, and smart, and determined and strong...

Alex slapped his forehead.

_No, no, no! Stop it! I barely know this girl! So why can't I stop thinking about her? _Alex sighed, defeated.

"When did my life get so complicated?!" He asked out loud. He nearly walked into the White Rabbit, but stopped himself just in time.

"Oh, hey there." he said. The Rabbit waved shyly up at him, trying to force a smile on her face.

"So, did you hear?" Alex asked. "We're going to war tomorrow." The Rabbit bit her lip and shifted her eyes.

"Yeah, I know." Alex said. "Not my idea of fun either, but I guess it had to be done." He sighed. "Still though, a war...heavy stuff." The Rabbit lifted her eyes to his, and Alex stared at her.

"Rabbit, why is it that you never talk?" As expected, she didn't answer. She just stared at the ground, and remembered the Cheshire Cat's words to her from the other day

"_I can't trust you. Stay away from Alex and the others."_

Suddenly, she was pulled back into reality by the sound of screaming.

"What was that?!" Alex asked. He and the Rabbit ran towards the sound of the screaming, and saw a donkey guy being swarmed by dormice.

"Shit!" Alex swore. He charged up some energy in his left hand, and shot some dormice off the guy. However, that didn't keep them down, as they just came back, eating at the guy. Undeterred, Alex just kept shooting at the evil little rodents, trying to save the donkey man.

"It's-It's no use." The guy panted. He looked at Alex with seriousness. "Tell the Hatter...there's a traitor in the..." He was unable to finish. Alex watched with horror as the guy was buried in the mice, who scattered seconds later, showing nothing but his bones. Alex felt bile rise in his throat, and had to swallow it back down. The poor White Rabbit, however, wasn't so lucky, and turned around to retch. Suddenly, the full implication of what the donkey guy had said sunk into Alex's subconscious.

"A traitor?" With a new burst of energy, he ran off to tell the Hatter. The White Rabbit, after tossing her cookies, turned back to look at the dormice. They were running off, not heading after her or Alex. She watched as they ran back up the hill, probably going back to the Duchess. One of them, however, turned briefly to look at her before joining its brothers and sisters.

* * *

The Hatter, alone in her room, pulled off her left glove. Her hand was covered in short black fur, and she noticed that flaps of skin were beginning to grow between her fingers. She bit her lip nervously. The changes had started ten months before. At first, she hadn't thought much of them; she just thought that she would have to start shaving her toes. But then, she noticed her toes slowly starting to sharpen, reshaping into talons. And then-then she started losing parts of her memory. Where she lived, her parents' faces...

Hatter clenched her hairy hand into a fist, a rare sad look crossing her face.

_I'm running out of time._

"Hatter? Hatter!" Hatter hurriedly put her glove back on as she realized that Alex was hurrying over.

"Alex? What is it?" she asked as the boy appeared in her doorway.

"There was this-this donkey guy outside!" Alex panted. "He was eaten by dormice-there was nothing I could do..."

"Alex, calm down." Hatter said, walking over and putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Before he d-died," Alex continued, "He said that there's a traitor in our ranks." Hatter's eyes narrowed.

"Is that a fact?" She sighed. "And the day before battle, too."

"Now what are you going to do?" Alex asked, concerned.

"Just what I was planning to do before." Hatter said matter-of-factly. "I'm going to stop the Red King. I just have to keep my guard up now. Even more than usual, that is." Alex stared at her.

"You're not telling me something." he accused.

"What?" Hatter asked.

"You're hiding something from me." Alex said. "This whole war, your rebellion, everything. Look, I get it, the Red King's a bad dude. But what's _your_ personal beef with him?"

"I don't have time for this." Hatter said, shaking her head.

"Not even a minute or two?" Alex asked. He didn't shout, but he did raise his voice an octave or two, which surprised the Hatter. The boy sighed. "Look, if we're going to be fighting this guy, then I need you to be open with me." The Hatter stared at him for a couple moments.

"I guess you have a right to know." The girl finally said. "First thing you should know is that none of us-me, the March Hare, White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat-none of us are from here originally. We all came from your world." Alex started to connect the dots.

"Wait a second. So, does that mean that..."

"We were all human once." Hatter voiced his thoughts. "But that all changed when we were trapped here in Wonderland." Alex stared forward, deep in thought.

"'We'?" he suddenly asked. "But you're still human."

"Not exactly." The Hatter said, pulling off her glove. Alex gasped as he saw the short black fur and claws.

"The Red King put a curse on this land when he went mad." Hatter said, and Alex noticed her eyes starting to burn with anger. "Any stranger who comes here eventually loses themselves, becomes a human-animal hybrid." Alex looked down at his own hands, as if worrying that they'd turn into paws.

"You have nothing to worry about." Hatter assured him. "The curse happens slowly. It takes a year to take full effect. You start to lose memories of your old life first. Where you lived, what your family looked like, things like that. Then the physical changes start, and slowly spread their way up.

"You've only been here a couple of weeks, so, provided we win the war tomorrow, you don't have to worry about being affected. Me, however? I'm running out of time." For the first time since he had known her, Alex suddenly saw _fear_ cross the young Hatter's face.

"I-I don't even remember my own name anymore." Hatter said in a choked voice. "That's why we _have _to win this thing." Before Hatter knew what was happening, Alex threw his arms around her.

"Alex..." she said in a somewhat annoyed voice.

"I'm not letting go." Alex said firmly. Hatter stared down at him in surprise. "You-everyone...all this time-I had no idea what you were going through." Hatter didn't try to pull away. She couldn't remember the last time she had been hugged, but it felt nice. She actually felt at peace for once. Slowly, she raised her arms and returned the hug. Alex didn't even shudder when he felt her claws on his back. He couldn't bring himself to be weirded out, not even a little.

"We'll win that war tomorrow, I promise you." Alex swore. Hatter looked at him through tear-filled eyes. "Even if it costs me my own life, I'll get you yours back. You and the rest of Wonderland. I'll save you, Hatter."


	7. Chapter 7

**AN**: _Well, here it is, guys. The battle's about to begin. Fair warning-I'm not too good with fight scenes, so I'm sorry if this sucks._

The Caterpillar sat on her mushroom in the middle of the forest. Taking a deep breath, she looked at the dawn sky, which was tinted red, indicating that the sun was about to rise.

"So quiet." she mused to no one in particular. "Everything is so still, so peaceful." Her face then hardened as she continued

"But all is not well. There is bloodshed on the horizon-and despair. Today, people will fall, and one side will conquer the other. Before the setting of the sun, Wonderland's fate will be sealed."

* * *

The Hatter's army marched across the land, heading to the Red King's castle. Hatter's face was hard as she led her troops, a sword at her side, along with her ever-present pistols. But that wasn't the only thing different about her. Overnight, the girl's transformation had accelerated. Her feet were now fierce talons that couldn't even fit into her shoes anymore. Additionally, her gloves were gone, replaced by a pair of bat wings. That wasn't a good sign.

_It's now or never._

Alex felt a tight knot in his stomach. This was it. He was actually going to a war. Never in his life would he EVER have imagined himself fighting a war, let alone one in such an unbelievable, fantastical land as Wonderland. And yet, here he was. All of a sudden, a realization dawned on the young boy. He could die. Alex clenched the sword the Mad Hatter had given him.

_I won't die. I'm the Chosen One. I _can't _die. At least, not until I see that Hatter, and __everyone else, is free from the Red King's power._

From his castle, the Red King watched the army approaching.

"Here they come, my Lord." the Duchess said. The Red King nodded, a smile on his face. Turning around, he faced his own army, which consisted of Tweedles Dee and Dum, as well as a sea of dormice.

"I don't want you going easy on them because they're young." he instructed them. "Kill them all." Tweedledum smirked evilly.

"Time for the slaughter." he chuckled darkly as he, his sister, and the rest of the army set out.

* * *

Outside, Hatter's army was nearing the castle. March Hare held out a hand to stop all the others as he noticed the drawbridge opening. The dormice flooded out first, followed by the dodos, then the regular soldiers.

"Now is the time!" Hatter shouted, pulling out her sword. "Attack!"

The Hatter's army ran forward, swords and guns drawn. The March Hare shot at one of the soldiers with one of his pistols, as a girl dressed in a carpenter's apron was run through by a sword from one of the Red King's men. Charging his fists, Alex blasted away some of the soldiers. Hearing squeaking, he looked down and saw dormice heading towards him. Alex prepared himself to attack, however, to his surprise, the mice ran right past him.

"Huh?" He didn't have long to stand around, however, as a large shadow fell over him. Turning around, Alex saw Tweedledum, Tweedledee next to him.

"Hey, there, chump." Tweedledum said. "Miss us?"

"Because this time, we won't miss _you_!" Tweedledee said. She knelt down to peck him, but then a voice shouted out

"No! You're not to attack the boy, remember? The King wants him to himself!"

"The King can kiss our asses!" Tweedledum shouted. "We've got a score to settle!" Letting out a shriek, he moved to attack Alex, but he jumped out of the way. He pulled himself up to counterattack, however, Tweedledee knocked him to the ground.

"Say goodbye, little man!" Tweedledee shouted. Before she could finish him off, however, a purple-and-blue blur zipped by, tackling her to the ground. Alex blinked in surprise at his savior.

"Cheshire Cat?" The Cat turned around to face him, and Alex noticed a solemn, almost sad, look on her face.

"Cat?" Alex pulled himself up. "Where have-"

"I'm sorry." Before Alex could respond, the Cat delivered a sharp blow to the back of his head. The last thing he saw before blacking out was the Cat's sorrowful expression.

The Hatter, who was nearby, fighting off some soldiers, saw Alex fall into Cheshire Cat's arms, and came to a realization.

"YOU!" Swiping away her opponents, she ran towards the Cat, and reached her just in time to be teleported into the King's castle.

* * *

Alex's eyes snapped open, and he bolted upright, panting heavily.

"Well well, Alex Hampton. We meet at last." Alex looked up at the figure of the Red King walking over to him, the Duchess clutching his right arm.

"Red King!" He scrambled to his feet, and as he did so, a horrible thought came to him.

"Wait a second-does this mean that the battle is over? Did-Did we lose?!"

"Oh no, the battle is still going." The Red King informed. "Though from the look of it, your little rebel army isn't doing so well." He shook his head in mock pity. "Poor fools, they really are nothing without their secret weapon. Or their leader." He snapped his fingers, and the Hatter was tossed to the floor in chains. Her hat was gone, and Alex could see that her ears were getting pointed, like a bat's ears. She was almost out of time. She glared at the Cheshire Cat, who Alex noticed was standing in the corner, a look of shame on her face.

"Cheshire-why?" Alex asked. Cheshire Cat bit her lip, unable to answer.

"I'll tell you why." Hatter spat. "Because she doesn't care about you. She doesn't care about those people out there risking their lives. All she cares about is herself."

"DON'T ACT SO SELF-RIGHTEOUS!" Cheshire Cat shouted angrily. "I joined the Red King for the same reason you formed that army out there! I know that this-this;" She indicated down to her body, "Isn't the real me! But I don't know who I was before. I don't remember anything about my life before Wonderland, and that scares me!" She started tearing up, and despite himself, Alex couldn't help but feel sorry for her. "I...I just want myself back!" Finally, Cat couldn't take it any longer, and buried her face in her paws, breaking down into tears.

"Cat..." Alex said quietly.

"And so you will, dear." the Red King said, a look of mock sympathy on his face as he put his hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, something dawned on Alex.

"Where's the White Rabbit?!" he demanded of the King.

"Oh yes." The evil man said. "My _former_ helper." He turned to the Duchess, who snapped her fingers. A wave of dormice scurried in, carrying with them the scared little rabbit girl.

"If you remember, I offered to help you too, little one." The Red King said, leaning down to pet her head.

"Don't touch her!" Alex shouted.

"How dare you speak that way to the King!" The Duchess shouted.

"Now now, dear, it's quite alright." The Red King said, holding up a finger to keep her from rushing forward. "I know how you all feel about me, but I can assure you, young man, I'm really not such a bad guy. After all, I promised the Cat here her humanity back. The Rabbit, too. I even offered to reunite her with her brother."

"Brother?" Alex asked. Then suddenly, it dawned on him. "The March Hare." He looked at the White Rabbit. "The March Hare-he's your brother? Actually, it's not really that surprising."

"Why should any of us trust you?!" The Hatter demanded. "You're the one who turned us into this in the first place!" Her eyes then widened as she felt her transformation accelerating once again. Groaning in pain, she put her claws to her face as her teeth started to sharpen into fangs, and her eyes turned orange.

"Hatter!" Alex said, going over to her. He then turned to the Red King, his eyes full of pleading. "Stop this!"

"You really seem to care about these girls." the Red King said, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "Alright then, I'll make you a deal. I'll change the cat, bat, and rabbits back to normal and return them to their rightful homes. All you have to do is-" Keeping his smile in place, the King unsheathed his sword and pointed it in Alex's direction.

"Die."

**AN**: _Ha-ha, cliffhanger! I'm so bad :D Well, Alex is in a tight spot here. What will happen? Stay tuned to find out!_


	8. Chapter 8

**AN**: _Glad you guys have been keeping up with this story. And, I'm sorry to say, the next chapter will be the last one. If you don't already hate me for that little fact, you'll probably hate me for what happens to a character in this story. Review anyway, please!_

Alex's body moved before he had a chance to think about it. He was able to jump out of the way before the King had a chance to run him through. The Red King smirked.

"I must admit boy, you're fast." Panting automatically, Alex looked from the King to the Cheshire Cat, who had her paws over her mouth. "Now, try to look at things my way. I'm trying to ensure my rule over Wonderland, and I can't do that as long as you're alive." He raised his sword, preparing to strike Alex again. "So why don't you just-"

"My liege!" The Red King's head whipped around as the Hatter pulled herself up and wiggled her right arm out of her chains, grabbing a pistol and preparing herself to shoot. However, the king was able to deflect her shot.

"So bothersome." The King said, though his smile didn't fade. "Deal with her, would you?"

"Of course." the Duchess said, raising her arms. Instantly, her dormice came running in, and the Hatter started shooting at them while struggling to get herself free. Alex shot a blast at the Red King, who was able to dodge it.

"Not bad." the Red King said. "But not good _enough_!" While all this was going on, the Cheshire Cat just watched, at a loss as to what to do.

_Weapon-I need a weapon!_ Alex thought. Before he could focus, though, he had to move again to avoid being skewered. He wasn't quite fast enough, however, and got scratched on the shoulder. Alex reached for the sword at his side, and channeled his energy through it, like he had practiced with the Hatter during their training sessions. He blocked the Red King's attack, and moved to strike, but the King blocked. He made a powerful swipe, and Alex was pushed backwards. The King rushed forward, and Alex blocked him again.

* * *

"_Coward!_" Hatter hissed at the Duchess. "_Are you really going to hide behind your mice for this whole fight?!_"

"Oh, don't act so high and mighty." the Duchess said. "Like you're really one to talk, with your ragtag army of misfits. Now, let me show you a new trick!" The Duchess' hands glowed, and all the mice gathered together in the middle of the room. As the Hatter watched, the dormice merged together, and soon, there was just one, really huge mouse monster in front of her.

"Now then my pet, destroy her!" As the Hatter ducked to avoid being crushed, the Duchess suddenly felt teeth sinking into her leg.

"OUCH!" Looking down, she saw the White Rabbit biting her. "Why you insolent little...!" The Duchess grabbed the Rabbit's ears and pulled her up, the poor little girl screaming quietly in pain.

"I'll teach you to...!" The busty woman was then cut short by a knife being thrown at her. It just barely missed her, managing to cut her cheek before embedding itself in the wall next to where the Hatter and the mouse monster were. The Duchess and White Rabbit both turned their heads as the March Hare walked into the room, cut and bleeding from battle.

"Get away from her, you BITCH!" he spat.

"You!" the Duchess said in surprise. "But how...?"

"I saw Miss Kitty here teleport Alex and Hatter away." the Hare explained. "It wasn't easy, but I fought my way in." The Duchess continued to stare at him in surprise for a few seconds, then a malicious smile spread across her face.

"Well then, if it's a fight you want-" She tossed the White Rabbit aside and pulled a knife out of seemingly nowhere, rushing at him.

* * *

Alex made the mistake of watching as this was going on, and the Red King broke into his thoughts, saying

"You should watch your own fights, boy!" Before Alex could get his mind back on fighting, the King moved to run him through. Fortunately, Alex was able to dodge. Unfortunately, he ended up falling unceremoniously onto his bum. The Red King stood over him, looking even taller and more terrible than before. He brought his sword down and then-everything stopped. Alex couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. The Hatter and both rabbits stared in open-mouthed horror at the scene before them.

At the last possible second, the Cheshire Cat had teleported between Alex and the King, and wound up getting stabbed through the chest.

Finally, Alex found his voice again.

"CAT!" Scrambling to his feet, he caught the Cheshire Cat as she fell backwards. The Cat looked up at him, and for a second, she looked like her jovial old self again.

"You should see your face." She chuckled a little, and started coughing immediately afterwards.

"Don't talk." Alex cautioned her.

"I'm sorry, Alex. For everything." She then looked at the White Rabbit, who had her paws over her mouth in horror. "You too, Rabbit." A sob escaped the White Rabbit, and tears started to fill her eyes.

"Hopefully this will make up for what I've done, at least a little." Alex's vision became blurred as tears came to his own eyes.

"Cat..."

"No, not Cat." The Cat said. A genuine smile crossed her face as she said "Dinah. I remember now. My name is Di...nah." Her entire body went limp, and Alex knew right away that she would never get up again. Alex's breath caught in his throat. It couldn't be real.

_Get up!_ A voice in his head said. _Please, get up!_ This couldn't be real. It just couldn't. Alex wanted to believe that any second, the Cat would pop back up, fully healed, and say 'Gotcha!', her trademark grin in place. But he knew it was hopeless.

The Red King studied the blood on his sword.

"What a waste." he said. "I was going to make good on my promise to her after killing you all." He just shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh well."

Alex looked back at the catgirl's body in his arms to the March Hare and White Rabbit, to the Hatter, who was barely even human anymore.

Suddenly, something inside him snapped.

"All these people-these...these _kids_..."

Flashbacks started going through Alex's head, of the sad look on the Hatter's face as he saw what she really was, of the Cheshire Cat crying when she expressed her desire to be normal again, of the March Hare and Mad Hatter, who probably had many happy times growing up together that they didn't even remember...

"All these lives you _ruined_!" Alex put the Cat's body away gently and stood up as straight as he could, his anger fueling his powers. Hatter, March Hare, White Rabbit, the Duchess, and even the Red King all stared in surprise as the young boy was suddenly surrounded by an aura of crackling blue energy.

"I'm going to _end you!_" Letting out an angry cry, Alex charged at the King, clasping his hands together as an energy sword formed in them. The King put his own sword up before Alex could skewer him. The boy's fury was doing him well. He was stronger now, more focused. As this was going on, the Duchess decided to use the distraction to attack the March Hare. Out of the corner of her eye, the White Rabbit saw the woman raise her knife to try and stab the Hare. In a split second, the Rabbit found her voice and shouted the first word she had ever spoken in a long time

"BROTHER!" The March Hare turned around just in time to avoid being run through, and, pulling out his own sword, knocked her knife away.

* * *

_I don't understand this._ The Red King thought as he barely avoided being stabbed. _How is he so much stronger now? _

Eventually, Alex's energy blade sliced through the king's sword.

"What?" the King shouted "Impossible!" Before he had time to think, Alex ran him through the same way the Red King had done to the Cheshire Cat.

"That's for Dinah!" Alex shouted.

"My Love!" The Duchess shouted, horrified. She started to run forward, but before she could take two steps, the Hatter and March Hare grabbed either of her arms. The Red King let out a final, choking gasp and fell backward, his crown clattering to the ground. It was over. The evil king was dead.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN**: _Well, here it is, guys. The final chapter of Alex In Wonderland. Thank you all for all your love and kind words!_

Outside, the Red King's soldiers started to lose their power. They felt their strength fading, and dropped their weapons.

"Wha-What's happening?" Tweedledee asked woozily. "I feel so...weak."

"Me too..." Tweedledum answered. He fell down next to his sister on the ground. Soon, they were joined by all the soldiers.

"Victory is ours!" a random voice shouted, and the rest of the Hatter's army burst into cheers.

* * *

"Well done, Alex Hampton." Alex whipped his head around. Somehow, the Blue Caterpillar appeared before him. She smiled, and, as Alex and the others watched, she changed in front of their eyes. Before long, a beautiful woman in a white dress and a silver tiara stood in front of them.

"The White Queen." Alex said in realization. Her smile got wider.

"Yes. When I opposed my husband the Red King, he turned me into a caterpillar in anger. The spell was strong, so I couldn't change back as long as he was alive. By killing the king, you have freed me, as well as all of Wonderland."

"So then-then you can change everyone here back to normal?" Alex asked hopefully. "Hatter? The March Hare? Dinah-" Suddenly remembering, he turned back to Dinah's body, and felt his heart fill with sadness. "Dinah..."

"There is nothing to worry about, young one." The White Queen assured him. "You will all be returned to the human world, and granted a second chance. It seems only fair." She looked around gratefully at the gang. "Thank you for everything you've done. _All _of you." She cupped her hands together, and a glow started to emanate from between them, getting brighter and brighter. The White Queen raised her hands, and Alex had to close his eyes as the glow filled the room.

* * *

"Alex? Alex? Alex!" Alex's eyes snapped open. His mother was standing over him, her face full of concern. He then realized that he was back in his own world, lying on the grass, his family in front of him.

"Mom!" Alex pulled himself up, throwing his arms around his mother's neck. "I've missed you." Mrs. Hampton gave her son a confused look.

"Alex, are you feeling okay?"

"Easy there, son." His dad said. "You've been asleep for almost an hour now."

"An hour?" Alex was confused.

"Come on." Mr. Hampton said. "Let's get going." Alex's head was spinning as he pulled himself up. He looked down at himself. He was wearing the same clothes he had been wearing on his first day in Wonderland, and they were clean and fresh, like they had been when he went out with his family.

_W-Was it all a dream?_ Alex wondered. _But it seemed so real._ Despite himself, he could feel his heart sinking as he walked beside his older brother.

"Big Brother! Big Brother, can we go look at the ducks?" A little girl with platinum blonde hair asked her older brother as they walked into the park.

"Alright, alright. Geez, you're such a chatterbox." Alex locked eyes with the girl, and as she saw him, her own eyes grew large with delight.

"ALEX!" Before Alex could respond, she ran up and hugged his legs.

"Who's the kid?" Alex's brother asked.

"Alex, do you know this little girl?" His mother asked.

"What?" Alex asked. "No I don-" He looked into the girl's face-and recognized it. It wasn't white and fuzzy, but he'd know it anywhere. Alex's eyes widened. He looked up at the girl's brother, who shook his head.

"Never seen her before." Alex lied. The girl let go of Alex's legs and looked at him in surprise. Her older brother came over and took her hand.

"Carol, what have I told you about talking to strangers?! Sorry about my sister." This last part he said to Alex and his family, though Alex could've sworn he gave him a knowing glance as he looked at him. The boy turned back to his sister. "Come on, let's go." Alex blinked in surprise. As he and his family continued walking along, he caught a glimpse of a voluptuous, long-haired girl petting a tabby cat. He didn't know if it was his imagination or not, but he could've sworn that the girl's canine teeth were sharper than the average human.

The wind suddenly picked up, and a girl's cry of

"Oh no! My hat!" was heard. A yellow baseball cap blew along the ground, landing next to Alex's feet. He picked it up as a girl ran over.

"Hey, thanks." Alex looked up at her-and his heart stopped.

"Can I have my hat back now?" The black-haired girl asked, her blue-green eyes locked on his sapphire ones.

"Oh, right, here."

"Thanks." The girl said, putting her hat back on. "I'll see you around, okay?" This last part she said meaningfully before running off.

"Yeah;" Alex said knowingly, feeling his heart start to lift as he walked off with his family, a smile spreading across his face.

_See you._

_**AN**: Okay people, now that this story is over, I wanna write another fanfic. I'm considering writing a genderbent version of Wizard of Oz at some point-do you guys think I should go for it?_


End file.
